Managing Compound XML Documents in a Repository

1. A computer-implemented method comprising, storing within a repository a compound document that includes: a parent document, a plurality of subdocuments of said parent document, said parent document including for each subdocument of said plurality of subdocuments, a link to said each subdocument; said repository receiving a statement that specifies a change to content of said compound document, wherein said statement does not reference any subdocument of said plurality of subdocuments; wherein said content is in a certain subdocument of said plurality of subdocuments; in response to receiving said statement, one or more computing devices changing said subdocument.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to one or more computing devices changing said subdocument, storing another version of said subdocument.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said statement includes an expression that references the parent document and represents an expansion of said parent document.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein said expression includes an operator based on said parent document.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform: storing within a repository a compound document that includes: a parent document, a plurality of subdocuments of said parent document, said parent document including for each subdocument of said plurality of subdocuments, a link to said each subdocument; said repository receiving a statement that specifies a change to content of said compound document, wherein said statement does not reference any subdocument of said plurality of subdocuments; wherein said content is in a certain subdocument of said subdocuments; in response to receiving said statement, one or more processors changing said subdocument.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , further comprising instructions which when executed perform: in response to one or more computing devices changing said subdocument, storing another version of said subdocument.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein said statement includes an expression that references the parent document and represents an expansion of said parent document.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein said expression includes an operator based on said parent document.